Chapter 520: Finalized

‘So, the essence of Blood Food Power is to seize this world’s origin? In other words, by returning Blood Food Power to this world, I can absorb Merit Power from it.’

‘The information she revealed is also crucial. Her mention of “several factions” likely doesn’t refer to powers within this world, but to higher existences from beyond it.’

Recalling the series of unexpected events during the Ghost City incident, Zhao Xuanqi realized that many secrets he didn’t know were hidden behind the Evil Cultivation affair.

‘Getting involved in these events would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous, but the potential rewards would be just as great.’

‘On one hand, there are the Rebirth Jade and Merit Points. On the other, there’s the chance for a deeper understanding of this world’s state of affairs, along with more secret intelligence about the Upper Realm and my own path as a Reincarnator.’

‘Given the current situation, it wouldn’t be wise to just keep my identity hidden and develop incrementally. I’ve already discovered the true Profound Technique of the Hundred Beasts Fist. To merge the advantages of various Cultivation Techniques and forge a path that is uniquely my own, the resources I currently possess are far from sufficient.’

‘Just reaching the realm of Refining the Internal Organs has already consumed a huge amount of my accumulated Merit Points, and I don’t have many left.’

‘Besides, I have a feeling that what she said is true. I don’t have much time left for a slow and steady development.’

‘Anything involving the Upper Realm is where the real danger lies.’

“Tell me your specific plan.”

Zhao Xuanqi said.

“I don’t have a specific plan. We’ll have to play it by ear. I can, however, tell you about the intelligence I’ve gathered so far.”

“The Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County and the Ghost City in the Dream affair didn’t just happen out of nowhere. Someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes to achieve an unknown goal. The Great Wei imperial court is now investigating this with all its might. They’ve even dispatched key combatants to Heqing Dao. Right now, there are turbulent undercurrents flowing beneath Heqing Dao’s peaceful facade.”

“That organization is very good at concealing itself, both its movements and its trace in the Celestial Secret. The Great Wei court has yet to uncover any crucial leads. But no matter how well they hide, they are bound to give themselves away under such an overwhelming search. Therefore, they must transfer their Evil Cultivation. This process involves many factors and will cause a huge commotion—it’s not as simple as just moving an Evil Cult Statue. When the time comes, there will inevitably be turmoil, and a direct confrontation between this organization and the Great Wei court will be unavoidable.”

“I can sense that the people behind this are now harvesting Blood Food Power from their Believers on a massive scale to minimize the losses from the transfer. However, such a vast amount of Blood Food Power is difficult to fully digest all at once. If they try to move while carrying undigested Blood Food Power, their trail will certainly be followed. So they will definitely use another method: distributing the Blood Food Power among some of the organization’s key members. Although this also creates a risk of exposure during the transfer, they can use the chaos to scatter and break away, minimizing their losses.”

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is the perfect time for them to act. They won’t possibly pass up such an excellent opportunity. The Great Wei court is also deploying forces, preparing for a potential clash during the Mid-Autumn Festival. When it happens, the higher-ups of various factions may well be drawn into it.”

“We don’t have the strength to go after the real Evil Cult Statue or the organization’s leaders. My targets are the lower-ranking core Believers and the scattered Blood Food Power they’ll be carrying on them.”

Zhuang Li spoke calmly, giving Zhao Xuanqi a general overview of the situation.

It was a display of sincerity, meant to make Zhao Xuanqi truly lower his guard and prevent any rifts or accidents from occurring during their collaboration.

The strength Zhao Xuanqi had displayed earlier had earned her approval. After making her assessment, she felt that recruiting Zhao Xuanqi would maximize the potential rewards of her plan.

After listening to Zhuang Li’s explanation, Zhao Xuanqi had a basic grasp of the current situation.

“The Great Wei court can’t even locate this organization and is still searching for it, yet you’re able to see through their plans. Haven’t you considered leaking this intelligence to the court to help the ordinary people of South Mansion avoid losses?”

Zhao Xuanqi asked coolly.

“If possible, I wouldn’t mind saving a few people, but not at the risk of my own safety. The Karmic Force from leaking this information is too great. I can’t afford to bear it right now. I’d advise you against having such ideas, too. Although our identities mean we don’t belong to this world, if we get too deeply entangled in its causality, we won’t be able to escape the ripples in the Celestial Secret. Until we’re strong enough, it’s best not to do such things.”

“Besides, the Great Wei court has already made arrangements. If I leak the intelligence ahead of time and shatter the balance between the two sides, it would trigger a true battle to the death. Forget South Mansion—the entirety of Heqing Dao would be littered with corpses. The powers that stand at the pinnacle of this world are still formidable enough to be feared.”

Zhuang Li’s expression was just as calm, holding a strange indifference, as if certain emotions had been gradually worn away over long ages and from a higher perspective.

Zhao Xuanqi’s expression flickered at her words. ‘Reincarnators descend into this world but don’t belong to it… so the Celestial Secret has trouble tracking them?’

This put him somewhat at ease. Ever since arriving in this world and learning of people who could perceive the Celestial Secret, his greatest fear had been getting locked onto by such an individual.